Image_2_A novel signature of combing cuproptosis- with ferroptosis-related genes for prediction of prognosis, immunologic therapy responses and drug sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma.tif

BackgroundOur study aimed to construct a novel signature (CRFs) of combing cuproptosis-related genes with ferroptosis-related genes for the prediction of the prognosis, responses of immunological therapy, and drug sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.MethodsThe RNA sequencing and corresponding clinical data of patients with HCC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), GSE76427, GSE144269, GSE140580, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and IMvigor210 cohorts. CRFs was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm. The analyses involved in the prognosis, response to immunologic therapy, efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) therapy, and drug sensitivity were performed. Furthermore, the molecular function, somatic mutation, and stemness analyses were further performed between the low- and high-risk groups, respectively. In this study, the statistical analyses were performed by using the diverse packages of R 4.1.3 software and Cytoscape 3.8.0.ResultsCRFs included seven genes (G6PD, NRAS, RRM2, SQSTM1, SRXN1, TXNRD1, and ZFP69B). Multivariate Cox regression analyses demonstrated that CRFs were an independent risk factor for prognosis. In addition, these patients in the high-risk group presented with worse prognoses and a significant state of immunosuppression. Moreover, patients in the high-risk group might achieve greater outcomes after receiving immunologic therapy, while patients in the low-risk group are sensitive to TACE. Furthermore, we discovered that patients in the high-risk group may benefit from the administration of sunitinib. In addition, enhanced mRANsi and tumor mutation burden (TMB) yielded in the high-risk group. Additionally, the functions enriched in the low-risk group differed from those in the other group.ConclusionIn summary, CRFs may be regarded not only as a novel biomarker of worse prognosis, but also as an excellent predictor of immunotherapy response, efficacy of TACE and drug sensitivity in HCC, which is worthy of clinical promotion.</p

Substrate-Induced Liquid Layering: A New Insight into the Heterogeneous Nucleation of Liquid Metals

Liquid layering, which is a general phenomenon adjacent to the solid substrates, is less understood for its role in heterogeneous nucleation. In this work, the structural features and dynamics of the liquid Al layers induced by the (0001) sapphire and the (0001) TiB2 substrates, respectively, are quantitatively compared based on the ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. An almost fully ordered liquid Al layer is observed adjacent to the TiB2 substrate above the Al melting point, while the liquid layers near the sapphire substrate are weakly ordered with virtually no in-plane translational symmetry. Further liquid layering is facilitated by the ordered liquid layer near the TiB2 substrate, while impeded by the low in-plane ordering of the liquid layers near the sapphire substrate, resulting in different nucleation behaviors for the two systems. The difference in the liquid layering is caused, in part, by the lower adsorption strength at the sapphire–liquid Al interface than that at the TiB2–liquid Al interface. Additionally, the compressive stress imposed on the liquid layers seriously hinders the sapphire-induced liquid layering. We conclude from this work that the interfacial adsorption strength and mismatch alter the heterogeneous nucleation by influencing the features of the substrate-induced liquid layering

The In-Plane Structure and Dynamic Property of the Homogeneous Al-Al Solid-Liquid Interface

Using molecular dynamics simulation and a newly developed COMB3 potential, the in-plane ordering and diffusion constant profiles at the homogeneous (100), (110), and (111) interfaces between solid and liquid Al have been examined. We found that the in-plane ordering characterized by 2-D density maps and 2-D structure factors existed in the first 6, 10, and 3 out-of-plane layers at the (100), (110), and (111) interfaces, respectively, showing a strong dependence on substrate orientation. In layers with in-plane ordering, the diffusion constant is greatly reduced relative to its value in the bulk liquid, while the influence of layers without in-plane ordering is negligible. The three diffusivity components turn out to be isotropic at the homogeneous interfaces. The Al-Al interfaces studied here will serve as an important reference in comparisons of the structure and properties of different solid-liquid interfaces, which will greatly support the design of grain refiners

Solute-adsorption enhanced heterogeneous nucleation: the effect of Cu adsorption on alpha-Al nucleation at the sapphire substrate

Interfacial adsorption of solute atoms is a promising means to tune heterogeneous nucleation. In this study, a new method has been established to theoretically evaluate the effect of solute addition on the nucleation potency of heterogeneous nucleation interfaces. The evaluation consists of three steps: (1) analyzing the solute adsorption behavior; (2) determining the nucleation mode; and (3) evaluating the effect of solute adsorption on nucleation potency using the solute-adsorbed interface model. A combination of the ab initio and molecular dynamics methods together with the two-phase thermodynamic model was used to evaluate a prototype Al–Cu/(0001) sapphire interface. It is found that solute Cu atoms adsorb at the interface between the melt and (0001) sapphire interface. The adsorption is driven by the strengthening of the Cu–Al bonds as revealed by the Bader charge analysis which is demonstrated to reduce interfacial energy. Furthermore, it is revealed that the interfacial adoption of Cu results in the formation of an Al–Cu adsorption layer, which enhances the interfacial chemical affinity thus enlarging the nucleation driving force. Meanwhile, the lattice mismatch between the sapphire substrate and the primary Al (α-Al) nucleus is decreased by Cu addition, which lowers the barrier for nucleation. The above two effects together increase the nucleation potency of the studied interface, which is in good agreement with previous experiments. It is proposed that the effect of solute adsorption shall be considered in the search for effective substrates for tuning the nucleation

Photocatalytic Properties of g‑C₆N₆/g‑C₃N₄ Heterostructure: A Theoretical Study

As a promising photocatalytic material in water splitting and organic degradation, the polymeric graphitic g-C₃N₄ has attracted intensive research interest during the past decade due to the visible light response, nontoxicity, abundance, easy preparation, as well as high thermal and chemical stability. However, the low efficiency owing to the fast charge recombination limits its practical applications. In the present work, we systematically investigated the electronic structure and photocatalytic properties of layered g-C₆N₆/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure on the basis of first-principles calculations. The results show that the type-II heterojunction can be established between g-C₆N₆ and g-C₃N₄ monolayers due to a perfect lattice match and aligned band edges, facilitating the separation of photogenerated carriers. In addition, it is worthwhile to note that hole effective masses of g-C₆N₆/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure can be significantly reduced compared to pristine g-C₃N₄ due to orbital hybridization between the two monolayers, which is extremely favorable for the migration of photogenerated holes. The g-C₆N₆/g-C₃N₄ heterostructure has a reduced band gap compared to that of pristine g-C₃N₄, which can further be tuned by biaxial strain. This work not only provides new insights into the physical and chemical properties of the g-C₃N₄-based heterostructures, but also suggests viable ways to prepare highly efficient photocatalytic materials

Selective Solid-Phase Extraction of Lead Ions in Water Samples Using Three-Dimensional Ion-Imprinted Polymers

Ion-imprinted polymers (IIPs) have drawn much attention in the selective determination of heavy metals. In this study, 8-hydroxyquinoline-grafted gelatin with different types of functional groups was first introduced as a biomolecular monomer to enhance the selectivity of imprinted cavities. Based on its swelling and film-forming properties, a simple strategy containing formation of the hydrogel film, swelling/folding followed by cross-linking, was proposed to prepare three-dimensional IIPs with high adsorption capacity (235.7 mg g^–1), strong selectivity (imprinted factor was 2.9), and rapid kinetics. Based on the different swelling container, different morphologies of IIPs could be prepared to satisfy the requirements of practical application. Consequently, the IIPs extraction coupled with a spectrophotometric method was applied for determination of lead ions, and the limit of detection was 0.2 ng mL^–1, which could be used for monitoring of Pb­(II) in drinking water and surface water

Lead Zirconate Titanate Nanowire Textile Nanogenerator for Wearable Energy-Harvesting and Self-Powered Devices

Wearable nanogenerators are of vital importance to portable energy-harvesting and personal electronics. Here we report a method to synthesize a lead zirconate titanate textile in which nanowires are parallel with each other and a procedure to make it into flexible and wearable nanogenerators. The nanogenerator can generate 6 V output voltage and 45 nA output current, which are large enough to power a liquid crystal display and a UV sensor

Main characteristics of studies included in meta-analysis.

<p>Main characteristics of studies included in meta-analysis.</p

Forest plots for all models to show an association between the <i>TNFA</i> -308G>A polymorphism and <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection.

<p>Forest plots for all models to show an association between the <i>TNFA</i> -308G>A polymorphism and <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection.</p

Association between <i>TNFA</i> Gene Polymorphisms and <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Infection: A Meta-Analysis

<div><p>Background</p><p>Several host genetic factors are thought to affect susceptibility to <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> infection-related diseases, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Previous studies have evaluated the association between <i>TNFA</i> gene polymorphisms and <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection, but the results were inconclusive. We conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the association between <i>TNFA</i> polymorphisms and <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Published literature within PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were used in our meta-analysis. Data were analyzed with the Stata13.1 software package using pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).</p><p>Results</p><p>A total of 24 studies were included in our study. The <i>TNFA</i> -308G>A polymorphism was associated with decreasing <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection (AA <i>vs</i>. AG+GG, OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.43–0.97; AA <i>vs</i>. GG, OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.43–0.97). A significantly decreased risk was also found for -1031T>C polymorphism (CC <i>vs</i>. CT+TT, OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.44–0.84). -863C>A polymorphism was associated with increasing risk of <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection (AA+AC <i>vs</i>. CC, OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.16–1.86; A allele <i>vs</i>. C allele, OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.14–1.72). There was no significant association between -857C>T polymorphism and <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection. When stratified analysis was conducted on <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection detection methods, -857C>T and -863C>A polymorphisms were associated with <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection for the non-ELISA subgroup. When stratified for ethnicity or study design, -863C>A significantly increased the risk and -1031T>C decreased the risk for the Asian subgroup and hospital-based subgroup.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Results of our meta-analysis demonstrate that <i>TNFA</i> -308G>A and -1031 T>C polymorphisms may be protective factors against <i>H</i>. <i>pylori</i> infection, and -863C>A may be a risk factor, especially in Asian populations. Further studies with larger sample sizes are required to validate these results.</p></div